Happy Birthday Nannie!

Tomorrow my Nannie will turn 96!  Since I was planning to be in Norfolk this weekend, we hosted the party the week before at home with a bunch of family and friends coming to join the celebration!

To say I am blessed by my grandmother is a total understatement.  This is the woman who gave me my love for all things crafty and taught me to cook.  It was not unusual when I was growing up for me to spend a night with Nannie.  She would always be up early cooking my favorite, hard boiled eggs, and would then get my Pop to drive us to whatever craft store so we could pick out supplies to work on our days craft project.  She influenced the person I am today dramatically and I am forever grateful for that awesome relationship.  Being close to Nannie was a huge reason for me moving back to Richmond after college and it has been great getting to spend so many Saturday lunches with her over the past 8 years!!!  Not only that, but she is the matriarch of my incredible family, so it was a great pleasure to get to cook for her for her 96th birthday!

My Uncle Jerry & Aunt Gloria

My Aunt Jean, mom, and cousin, Dallas

The birthday girl--she looks quite good for 96!

My cousins Trudy and Sharon

Family friend, Mr. Barefoot

Mrs. Barefoot, and my cousin, Scott!

Everyone needs balloons on their birthdays, even when you are 96!

Make a wish, Nannie!

So here is hoping for a big party to celebrate her 100th birthday in just 4 short years :)

Finding love in the small things....

Although Fall is only my 3rd favorite season, I still like to find things that make me happy despite the quickly dropping temperatures.  And for the past week that little thing has been the sound the leaves on the sidewalk make as I walk into work each day.  It literally makes me giddy like a little 5 year old, some days I might even be caught kick up some with my heels :)  

Let's keep that last part to myself, I have a reputation to uphold.....

A strictly numbers post....

* 3 days until I see my nephews again
* 10 days until I leave for Vacation 
* 16 days until Thanksgiving
* 16.5 books I have read this year so far
* 43 days until Christmas
* 50 days until 2014
* 156 posts so far this year

That is my life summed up in 7 lines :)

Life Update in pictures

Since it has now been about 2 weeks since my last post, I thought a life update would be in order!  So now you get the photos that my phone has been hoarding (plus a few that i got from CJ) :)

Dinner & Game Night with Emily, Kevin, Jeff, CJ, and me

Dinner with two of my favs!!!  Then some halloween shopping

Dinner with Nannie

Then we had some Halloween Party Fun:

Lila & Patrick as Bob Ross and his painting

Charlotte, CJ, me, Anna, & Lila

3 blind Mice (Jeff, Emily, Kevin)

Meagan & Gloria 

Mom & Me

Allison as a pirate

My G's :)

Clark Kent & Louis Lane

Me, Allison & Anna

Then there was that time, I took off two days to go down to Norfolk and spend time with my sister and her kids :)

Lunch date with this cutie!

Oh Hey Holden!!!  The day after this kid decided he was too old for naps--FUN TIMES!

Selfie with little Garrett

Happy Halloween from Garrett

Happy Halloween from Bot, oh i mean Corbin!

Then there was the Saturday that we got invited to Emily's family's fall festival!  

Getting ready to do some shooting

CJ's first time shooting a gun!  

Hayride fun!

All in all, life has been good here lately and the last two months of the year promises to be even better :)